The People You Leave Behind
by D890
Summary: A one shot with the views of the people who know the Woman in White as well as a bit about our boys.
1. Chapter 1

The People You Leave Behind

Chapter One – The Woman in White

 _Everybody has something to conceal. – Humphrey Bogart_

Sam sighed as he looked out his and Jess' bedroom window at his brother Dean, who was waiting outside by the Impala. Sam had thought he'd gotten free of his family and their hunts by coming to Stanford; yet here was Dean pulling him back into this life and he hated that. But he couldn't ignore Dean's plea for help in finding their father.

Sam and his father John had never really seen eye to eye; and that was what had led Sam to want to leave more than anything. He had tried so hard to get away from hunting, from his father's obsession to find the thing that had killed their mother. For Sam his mother was just a woman in a photograph; he didn't know her; hadn't ever really known her. He only knew what Dean had told him growing up.

All his childhood, Sam had been subjected to everything supernatural and he'd hated the hunts; the moving around; the leaving towns just when he'd made friends. He'd hated not being normal. He had worked hard to get where he was today, and now here he was about to dive back in headfirst to help Dean; and for what? To find the man who had told him to leave in the first place? The man that had told him if he walked out the door, he'd better stay gone?

Sam sighed again. Man, things were messed up when your last name was Winchester. Some things never change, Sam thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dean sighed as he took in the fact that his brother Sam, had just checked to see if he was still down here waiting. Dean knew Sam hated this life, and that was why he'd run away to Stanford; to avoid being a part of the Winchester family's legacy of hunting the supernatural. He was sorry he'd had to ask Sam to help, but hell he needed help finding their father and the fact was that John Winchester was _their_ father; not just Dean's, so Sam should want to help him out. Dean needed help and he had no one else he could turn to.

Sam and their father John had constantly butted heads from the moment Sam had been able to form a complete sentence. That made for some trying times during their lives as neither man had ever seemed to understand how hard they had made Dean's life. He had always ended up in the middle of their fights trying to keep the peace and keep the family together. He'd tried so hard to keep the family together; and his father had basically pushed Sam out the door. Sam hadn't really needed the push though, just the excuse; and he'd taken it. He'd run away.

Dean had sacrificed his childhood to ensure Sam had one; the best that Dean could give him anyway. He'd accepted their lives early on even when Sammy hadn't. Sam had fought the life every step of the way; he'd always wanted normal; safe. That was why he'd left; why he'd run away to school; away from their father; away from Dean. It didn't matter that John had told Sam to leave; Dean had known Sam would have left sooner or later he'd just needed a reason to go.

Dean sighed again. Man, things were messed up when you were a Winchester. Maybe, just maybe, Dean could change things, he thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Amy Hein looked at the two men as they left the diner. She turned to her friend Rachel, sitting next to her. "Those guys are not Troy's uncles." She said adamantly.

"What? How do you know?"

"Two reasons; one – Troy's family isn't smart enough to know what a pentagram truly means. Neither is mine; Troy just loved pissing them off."

"And the other reason?" Rachel asked looking at the two men as they got into a really badass looking black car.

"Troy's parents were only children; no brothers or sisters."

"If you knew that, why did you talk to them?"

Amy watched as the car pulled away from the curb. She thought about that for a minute. "Honestly, I'm not sure, but I think it's because they can do something."

"Do something? Do what exactly?" Rachel asked confusion showing on her face.

"Stop Constance. They can stop Constance Welch."

"Don't say her name. We promised we'd never say her name out loud." Rachel admonished her friend.

"You're the one who brought her up. I wasn't going to say anything. At first anyway."

"Well, maybe I shouldn't have."

"No. I think they can stop her. Nobody in town wants to admit we have a ghost problem, but you and I know different. We've seen her, remember? We know the stories; we've heard about the men who go missing around here. We know she's behind it." Amy said, sounding strong.

"Maybe we should have warned them about what she's capable of?" Rachel asked as the car disappeared at a corner light down the street.

"They know what to do. I feel it. We can trust them to finish this as long as we let them do their job."

"Job?"

Amy thought about that too. "Yeah; something tells me this is what they do. Hunt evil. They have a job to do; this is their job." She smiled as she added, "I think it's their family business."

Rachel turned to her friend. "Boy, sometimes I really wished you were more normal. The psychic stuff scares me sometimes." She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "Then again, sometimes you're better when you're a bit 'un-normal'."

"Speaking of psychic powers, the tall one with the cute puppy dog face; he's got the ability. He just hasn't fully realized it yet." Amy said, thinking about the two guys. "The other one, I'm not sure about him. There's something… he's different."

"What do you mean different? Different good or different bad?"

"Good; definitely good; they both are, but… the older one, he's got a… a destiny for lack of a better word. His road, both really, will lead them to hell and back, literally. But he… his road leads him to God eventually." She paused. "I don't know how to put it, but both of those guys are important to our life here on earth, but he will literally be the one who will bring humanity back from the brink with the ultimate sacrifice. He will save mankind and… restore mankind's faith in God. He's important."

"Wow, that's deep. And neither of them knows how important they really are do they?"

"No, but hopefully they will one day." Amy said as she rose from her seat in the booth. "Come on, let's go shopping."

"What about the rest of these flyers?" Rachel asked following her friend from the booth.

"Leave 'em. We both know they won't do any good anyway; Troy's already gone, and he isn't coming back. Constance took care of him. No more cheating." She paused. "Not saying she's good or anything, but she got it right with Troy and now I don't have to wonder who's bed he's in tonight." The two girls walked out of the diner and headed off down the street.

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Joseph Welch turned his back as the tall young man who said he was a reporter got into his black Chevy and drove away. Joe knew he was about as much a reporter as he himself was a beautician. He knew the man was trying to find out what he could on Joe's wife, Constance. Just like that other man had done last week. Joe knew he hadn't been a reporter either. No way. That man had been a soldier, no way was he a reporter.

Joe turned back as the car made the turn onto the main road from his yard's driveway. Joe had said he didn't know what a woman in white was when this guy had asked him, but he had lied; he knew. He'd heard the phrase before, from some of the people in town. Everyone thought it was Constance who was out there hurting those men, but no one talked to outsiders about it; they didn't want anyone thinking they were crazy; that the whole town was crazy, so everyone kept their opinions quiet. That was just fine with Joe. He didn't need anyone telling him what his wife had become, he already knew. And he knew it was his fault.

Joe wasn't always home and yes, he had cheated on Constance, but it was only the one time. He'd had to deal with that for the past twenty odd years. He wasn't perfect, but he knew it had started with him, so he'd stayed alone after losing his wife and children, Sort of his own self-imposed penance for his sins. He'd done wrong by Constance, so he'd remained faithful to her after her death in the hopes that she'd stop killing; but she hadn't. Even though he didn't want to admit it to the young man he'd been right about her; and Joe wished him silent good luck in his quest to find her and put her soul to rest once and for all.

Joe wasn't gonna say it out loud, but he knew who this man was; he was a Hunter and he knew that he'd succeed. He watched until he could no longer see the car as the young man headed back towards town. It'd be dark soon and Joe knew the young man would have to use Centennial Highway to get back to town. He may even run into Constance on the way.

It's time for her to be put to rest, one way or another. Joe breathed in deeply of the late afternoon air and turned back to head inside before evening fell across his yard.

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"Sheriff, we got another call shots fired – this time over off Breckinridge Road." Deputy Hein said rushing into the interrogation room where Sheriff Jasper Pierce stood looking at the empty handcuff dangling from the table.

They'd just gotten back from the false call of shots fired off Whiteford Road only to find his suspect, this Dean character missing from where he'd left him handcuffed.

"You take Rogers and Sanderson. I'm staying behind to contact the state police. This Dean guy is in the wind and probably with his partners."

"You think he had anything to do with Troy's disappearance?" The deputy asked.

"No not really, but he knew something. He knew who was behind Troy's and all the others. He took that crazy journal we found in the motel room with him." The sheriff scratched his head. "Go on, get going. Go catch some bad guys."

The sheriff watched as his three deputies left to go chase another false trail. He knew what was already happening out off Breckinridge Road; and it was best if he wasn't there. If this involved Constance… well, he needed to be outside of this. He knew it was the old Welch place where they'd be heading, and he knew what for.

Someone had finally taken his sister home. Yeah, his sister. Constance was finally going home to face her demons and he was going to let it happen. It was about time, too. She finally needed to be put to rest once and for all. Lord knows, he'd tried to contact her himself, but she only appeared to strangers; men who had somehow cheated. She was punishing those men for the same thing that Joe had done to her.

He sighed as he thought about what Constance had done; to those men; to her own children. She had never been unstable before, but she'd been a mother since she was seventeen and Joseph's cheating had pushed her over the edge. But that was no reason to kill her children and then herself; and then to come back from the dead and punish others for their misdeeds. No, it wasn't right, and he knew this needed to end now.

And he knew this Dean guy and his partners were the ones who would be ending it. He knew from that journal he'd thumbed through that this was just the kind of thing they'd be able to handle. So, he'd let them, and he'd conveniently forget to call the state police on them. He'd let them do their job and move on. He took one last look at the dangling handcuff and slowly turned to walk out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dean turned to see Sam standing in the glow of the flashing lights of the fire trucks by the open trunk of the Impala. Dean had thought he'd done the right thing by pulling Sam back into their family life; yet here he was watching Sam's apartment burn with Jess still inside. This was Dean's fault, messing up Sam's normal safe apple pie life.

He should have left Sam out of this and Jess would still be alive. Sam had deserved the normal apple pie life and Dean had just robbed him of it completely; all because he didn't want to be alone anymore.

Dean sighed to himself as he realized he'd have to work hard to fix this, for Sam. The only person who could help them find Jess' killer was their dad; so now they had work to do. He'd really messed this up; some things never change; Dean thought.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam turned to see Dean was watching him as he stood by the open trunk of the car. Sam could see the firemen still working on his and Jess' apartment, but he knew it was useless. Jess was dead and he didn't care about anything else except getting this thing that had killed her. This was all Sam's fault; he shouldn't have left her alone.

He should have never left Jess and she would still be alive. He'd wanted a normal life with her, and this thing had just robbed him of that; all because he'd gone off to help Dean.

Sam sighed to himself because he knew Dean would blame himself and while Sam had wanted to blame him too, he knew it wasn't Dean's fault. It was the thing that killed his mom and now Jess that was to blame. Now he was back in this and he just hoped he had the strength to change things; for the better, he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two – Wendigo

 _What is a monster? A being whose survival is incompatible with the existing order. – Denis Diderot_

Dean watched as his brother Sam slept in the shotgun seat of the Impala. He was mumbling in his sleep; something about not liking roses. Dean sighed; he knew Sam was having another nightmare about Jess. Dean knew the signs. He'd taken care of their father for over twenty years when he'd woken from the same type of nightmares that had plagued him after their mother had died.

Dean had been six years old the first time he'd seen his father passed out on the couch of the rented apartment they'd managed to stay at for more than a week. John had come home from a bad hunt tired from lack of sleep and bone weary from tracking the vengeful spirit of a man who had been just as evil in life as he'd been in death.

Dean had watched as his father had lain there crying out for Mary, Dean's mother as he thrashed around. He'd watched his father fight the demon who took her in his nightmare. And Dean had watched his father wake up drenched in sweat with his hands shaking as he cried into them; mourning for the wife he'd lost.

Dean never let on that he'd witnessed his father's weaker moments during his nightmares that quickly became routine events for John Winchester. Eventually as Dean grew older, the nightmares came less frequently, but when they did, they were always intense. Dean tried his best to comfort his father and protect him from the bad dreams, but Dean couldn't always keep them at bay,

That was when Dean realized he would never be a normal child with a normal childhood; and that's also when he decided that it didn't matter to him anymore. He was going to protect his family the best he could. He was going to keep them all together and he had done that. He had taken care of his father and he had taken care of Sammy.

He'd learned to cook, to clean, to do all kinds of chores involved in raising a family; and while he learned the mundane things he also learned how to read and write, he learned that two plus two equaled four and he learned how to hunt, to take orders, to salt and burn, to kill all kinds of evil. He learned to take care of people and to protect his family; he learned how to be a good soldier.

Dean knew he'd given up a lot of things to do what needed to be done, but he didn't care. He'd never change that ever. Besides, he couldn't miss 'normal' if he'd never really experienced 'normal'.

He hated taking Sam from the life he'd tried to make normal, but he was not good at functioning all alone. All his life he'd taken care of others and being on his own left him feeling so alone; and confused. He needed Sam and their dad. He needed to take care of them; protect them; Dean needed to be needed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ranger Floyd Wilkinson watched as the two young men left his ranger station with the copy of Tommy Collins' hiking/camping Blackwater Ridge permit. Those boys weren't college boys; well maybe the tall one was, but the other one, no way. He looked like the only courses he'd majored in were auto mechanics and how to charm the pants off just about anyone, while pulling the wool over their eyes at the same time.

Nope, not college boys. He didn't know what they were up to or how they'd gotten involved with Haley Collins, but he hoped they'd convince her to just wait for her brother to come back from his trip. The last thing he needed right now was a bunch of city folk traipsing out into his forest looking for trouble and get their fool selves lost or worse.

There were known bear attacks in his forest, and it was hard as hell to find a black bear and take it down without anyone getting hurt in the process. No, he really needed them to stay out of the forest without proper guidance. He knew Haley had hired that pain in the ass, Roy Tucker to lead them in, but he really wished they'd just stay out.

Not only was it dangerous, but Roy, while he was a competent guide, he didn't really have anyone's best interests at heart other than his own. Roy's agenda was always about number one. He'd take them in okay, but then most likely run them into trouble and leave 'em stranded somewhere.

He sighed as he remembered that bunch of hikers that got lost back in '83 and how none of them ever came out of the forest again. He was a young ranger just starting out back then and he had seen how hard it was to canvass the entire forest range of Blackwater Ridge back then. It wasn't much better now. The forest was untouched from the modern world and it would take someone with major experience to survive the further in you went. He always recommended to any hiker without enough experience to stay well within the Wildlife Services' guidelines and not go too deep into the forest.

Those two boys had their work cut out for them if they were going to convince Haley Collins to wait for her brother's return. Yep, those two had a real tough job ahead of them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Joseph Shaw watched from his bungalow's tiny front window as the two young men that had just visited with him got in their dark colored Chevy. The man had tried not to wish them gone the minute they'd come into his home asking about the time when he had been a young boy and he'd lost his parents.

The two men were claiming to be park rangers curious about Blackwater Ridge camper/hikers that had gone missing over the last century. He'd hated thinking back and remembering what he'd seen when he'd hidden from the thing that come into his family's cabin those many years ago. They'd wanted to know everything and so he'd told them the truth and he'd even shown them his scars.

Those boys hadn't even blinked at what he'd told them, so he knew they weren't really rangers. They were much more than that and he knew they would be going to those woods to find what had done this to him and his family. He just hoped they were as good as he felt they were, because this thing would be hard to kill. It terrified him today just as much as it had when he'd been nine years old. He never wanted to go back into those woods ever again, hell he didn't even want to think about it ever again, but they needed to know what they were facing.

He had hesitated naming what they would be up against in those woods, because he didn't want to be called a lunatic again, but he knew what it was. He'd done his own research and had spent countless hours going over everything he could find on similar beings in other parts of the world. He'd discovered that there were similar creatures called Wendigos, but they were mostly seen in upper northeastern states like Minnesota.

He probably should have told those young men what all he knew, but he hadn't. He'd told them everything he could about what had happened and hopefully they would put it together for themselves. His memories were all he had to offer as proof anyway. Now that he'd told them to those two men, it was time to put them to rest once and for all. He prayed for those boys as he reached for the whiskey bottle and poured himself another drink. He watched them drive away and hoped they found whatever was out there and they took it down permanently.

Only then did he think he'd be able to have one night of peace without the constant nightmares he'd had nightly since he'd crawled out of that forest over forty-five years ago. Yes, only then could he finally and truly rest.

Good luck boys and more power to ya, he thought as he began his nightly ritual of drinking himself into a barely there drunken stupor. Good luck.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ben Collins watched as his sister Haley gripped their brother, Tommy's hand. "Do you think we'll ever see them again?" He asked her.

Haley could see Dean toss Sam the keys to their car just before the ambulance door was completely closed. She couldn't help smiling at the guy and his biker boots and jeans. He was one fine looking fake forest ranger.

"I don't know. I kind of hope not, if you know what I mean." She replied meeting Ben's eyes.

Ben nodded in agreement. "But what if we have another problem?"

"Another problem?" Tommy asked, looking at the female EMT watching over him. "Please tell me we won't be having any more problems."

Haley followed his look and understood. "I don't think we'll be having anymore bear attacks like this one for a long long time." She answered as she squeezed Tommy's hand. And if we do, we'll know who to call."

Ben smiled. "Yeah, you're right." He paused as he thought of something. "Hey Haley, think we can pick up some M and M's later? I've got a sudden craving." He chuckled.

Haley laughed with him. "Yeah, me too."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam leaned against the hood of the Impala next to Dean as the ambulance with the Collins' inside pulled away and headed into town.

"Sam, you know we're gonna find Dad, right?" Dean asked as he looked at Sam.

Sam paused as he thought about that. "Yeah, I know." He really hated the thought that their father was still out there avoiding them for whatever reasons he had. "But in the meantime? I'm driving." He said looking at Dean.

He smiled inwardly as he waited a beat for Dean who tossed the Impala's keys to him. He caught them easily as both boys then moved around the car and got in. Sam smiled as he peeled out of the ranger station's parking area and back onto the two-lane blacktop highway. He liked driving the Impala even if he'd never admit that to Dean. The car was everything it had always been to both his brother and himself.

The car had always been their transportation; their home; and more than once she'd been their savior. Dean loved this car and not just because it had once been their dad's, but because this car was full of memories. This car was a Winchester just as much as Sam and Dean were; this car had gone through hell with these boys.

Sam looked over after about twenty minutes to see that Dean had snuggled down in the passenger seat to get comfortable and he had his eyes closed. Sam knew that Dean wasn't asleep though; he knew his brother. Dean rarely slept soundlessly in the Impala unless he was bone weary tired or he'd been injured. Right now, Sam knew Dean was just dozing and listening to the car's rumble and how the sounds of his car made his body feel. Sam knew that feeling when he rode shotgun.

The feel of the Impala's engine gave Sam the feeling of security; he knew he was safe in this car and he was sure that's how Dean felt too. There were only two things in this world that Sam knew he would always be able to count on. One was this car and his feeling that everything was fine as long as he was in this car. The other was Dean and for pretty much the same reason. As long as Dean was there, Sam knew he'd be alright.

Dean had always promised Sam that he would take care of him not matter what and that everything would always be fine as long as they were together. And Dean _had_ always been there for Sam; even when Sam was at school; Dean had always been there.

Growing up, Sam had always looked up to Dean. Growing up; Sam thought now. Dean was only four years older than him, yet Sam had never really thought that while he was growing up, Dean had been just a kid too. Dean had always been there, and he did everything, the cooking, cleaning, and even the laundry. Dean had been more like Sam's father than John was. Dean was the one who answered all of Sam's questions the best he could no matter how hard or how dumb the question may have been for Dean.

Hell, it was Dean who'd taught him how to tie his shows, ride a bike, drive a car – this car, shave, and even how to kiss a girl. Dean had taught Sam everything he knew, and he couldn't remember their father teaching him anything that didn't involve being a hunter.

Dean had been brother, father, teacher, friend and mentor for Sam; and he'd left him to go to school. He'd never really thought about what Dean had done while he'd been away at school. He'd never asked and that was when Sam realized that Dean had never had a normal childhood.

Dean had given that up to make Sam's childhood normal for as long as he possibly could. It was an epiphany for Sam. Dean was the one constant in his life; not their dad, not running away to school, hell not even Jess. No matter how much Sam had loved Jess, she had not been the one person in Sam's life that had been there no matter what went down. Sam now knew no matter what he did, no matter what he said, no matter who he hurt; Dean would always be there for him.

And that's when Sam realized something else. It had been Dean who had cared for him, protected him, fought for him and he'd left Dean to go to school, to get away from hunting, to get away from John Winchester. It may have hurt his father for Sam to leave, but Sam knew he'd hurt Dean a lot more.

Damn, Sam thought to himself. Damn.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three – Dead in the Water

 _Do not stand at my grave and weep. I am not there. I do not sleep. -Mary Elizabeth Frye_

Dean sat at the counter in the small diner going over the obits in the local newspaper when his attention was diverted by the pretty waitress that walked around where he sat to head into the kitchen. Ummm, he thought, she looked like fun. Too bad Sammy would give him a hard time about wanting to have some fun.

Sam was in one of his moods again about finding their father since they'd left Colorado and Dean knew it wouldn't take much to set him off if he suggested that they take a break… for some fun. Dean sighed as he watched the girl disappear from his view.

Dean understood how much Sam wanted to find their Dad; hell Dean wanted to find him just as bad, but he couldn't produce him out of thin air and they had no real clues as to which direction to head off in on their search. They couldn't find their father right now, but they could work; do their jobs; hunt down evil and take it out. Dean wanted to find their Dad, but he also wanted to take out everything evil he came across along the way.

It hurt Dean to sometimes when he thought about how much Sam wanted to find their Dad just so they could hunt the thing that killed Jess; killed their mother so that Sam could then walk away from him; from this life. Dean wanted to find the thing too, but he also wanted a family. He wanted to stay together, because this life was all that Dean knew; he had been trained to protect the good and kill the bad, and he took that all to heart. It was more than just the missions; the hunts; it was his job; his family; his life.

He wanted so much to end the thing they ultimately hunted, but he also wanted to be with his father and his brother as it had always been. Hunting things; protecting people; the family business. He wanted to be a part of that again.

Dean felt Sam come up and sit down beside him, so he turned his attention back to the waitress in front of him. Man, she had great legs. Legs could be fun; such a fleeting thought Dean said to himself as he sighed and bowed his head. He could feel Sam watching him, so he turned to look at Sam with that Dean Winchester smile back in place.

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Sam could see Dean as he sat at the counter watching the waitresses come and go, but Sam knew he was thinking more than he was just watching; he was remembering something. It was in the way Dean held himself; he was remembering; thinking. Sam couldn't help wondering what dean was thinking about, what he was seeing in his mind's eye.

Dean had always been the one to keep secrets while Sam liked to talk things out. Not Dean, he had been trained early on by their father to keep personal stuff just that, personal. Keep it hidden, compartmentalized, so that you could do the hunt, the job. Dean never talked about his feelings with anyone and that made Sam even more curious about what he could be thinking as he sat there.

Sam kind of smiled to himself as he figured it was probably nothing more than wishing he had some time to go off and have 'some fun' with one of these girls instead of having to listen to Sam piss and moan about losing their father's trail. Sam understood how Dean felt, but Sam also understood how important it was to find their father; so, they could find the thing that had killed his Jess.

Sam shuffled his feet as he walked to let Dean know he was coming back before he sat down at the counter next to him. He was in time to hear another pretty waitress ask Dean if she could get him anything else.

"Just the check, please." Sam answered for him as he turned to see Dean drop his head in defeat and then turn to reward Sam with the Dean Winchester look. Man, the guy was something else, Sam thought.

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Jake Devins watched as his daughter Andrea showed the two agents to the hotel two blocks over. Those two were going to be a problem, he thought. And he didn't need any more problems right now. What with the plans for the lake to end up flowing into the spillway, there wouldn't be a lake anymore; so, he had enough on his plate.

He needed to get those two checked out to be sure they were who they said they were. They didn't seem to know about the plans for the lake and he didn't need strangers digging into the history of the lake, his history.

Those two guys were going to be digging up something that was better left buried, if he didn't put a stop to them as soon as he could. He couldn't afford to lose what family he had left or his job. Yeah, he had enough on his plate.

He didn't need any more regrets; he'd had his share of them. He had his secrets and he knew Bill Carlton shared those secrets, but they didn't deserve the sorrow and regrets they'd both had since losing children. It took him a moment to stop and check himself on that last thought; they didn't deserve the sorrow of losing a child. God that's what had happened to Peter Sweeney's parents; they had lost their child and they didn't deserve that either.

This was all his fault; but he had had no choice. He had to just continue as if he had no idea what had happened in the past. And he needed to keep his eye on those two. Yes, he really had enough on his plate.

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Harriet Sweeney looked on as the two young gentlemen got in their car and drove away from where she stood by the window in her son Peter's room. They had been very nice boys and had seemed genuinely concerned about finding out what had happened to her Peter. She hoped they would find her son or at the very least find out what had happened to him.

Not knowing was worse than if she'd found out he'd run away or had been kidnapped. Although she had her suspicions; she knew in her heart what had basically happened. A mother always knows; and she knew her son was dead; had been dead since the day he'd gone missing. She didn't know how or why or who was responsible, but she had known the instant he was gone.

But she also knew his spirit was restless; had felt it for a very long time now. She held no fantastic illusions that he was an angel in the arms of God or that he was in a better place. She was a logical woman; and she knew her son was dead, and he was restless. She'd tried to tell her husband that over thirty-five years ago, but he had refused to believe their son was gone and her husband had worried himself into an early grave of his own when his search for Peter had taken its toll on his health.

Harried had been alone for a very long time now. She had watched those two boys while they'd been here and she didn't know if they really were Federal Agents or not, but she could feel that they cared about the truth. So, she would pray for them to find out the truth about Peter, good or bad and then maybe Peter could be put to rest.

Yes, it was time for Peter to move on; she needed to go to her own grave knowing that the truth would bring him peace. She wanted Peter to be at peace.

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Andrea sat at the picnic table in the park watching her Lucas as he played with the other children. She was so thrilled that Lucas had finally opened up to Dean and in turn now to her.

She thought of her father and the secrets he'd had to live with these years, and she felt for him, but she couldn't totally forgive him or Mr. Carlton for the pain they'd caused Mrs. Sweeney, Peter's mother as well as themselves for the loved ones they'd all lost. They were young when this had all happened and while she could understand their behavior as children after Peter's death, she couldn't condone their actions after becoming adults as they continued to remain silence about Peter.

But that was done, and her father and Mr. Carlton were both gone, and she had her son back. She knew that even though her father had sacrificed himself for Lucas, it was Agents Ford and Hamill she owed a debt to forever. She laughed…Ford and Hamill…really? She knew the truth now of who they really were, but she'd continue to think of them as they had when they'd first came to town. As Agents Dean Ford and Sam Hamill. Awesome.

"Andrea, dear? What's got you laughing so?" Harriet Sweeney asked from where she sat at the table across from Andrea. She had hoped Andrea would be enjoying their picnic in the park, and she did truly look happy.

"Nothing, Harriet. Just thinking… thinking of Lucas and how happy I am right now. Aren't you?"

Harriet turned to look at Lucas, who waved at the women as he played. "I am very happy." She said as she waved Lucas over to join them in eating. "And as Lucas has recently taught me to say… I'm awesome!" The elderly woman smiled as Lucas ran up to give both women hugs before grabbing a hot dog.

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Sam waited downstairs in the hotel lobby after checking him and Dean out. He was waiting for Dean who was packing up their stuff from their room, so Sam used the time to think; to reflect on the things he'd learned about Dean on this hunt.

Sam had stood back and listened to Dean connecting with Lucas at Andrea's house and talking about what he remembered of what had happened to their mother. Dean had never told Sam that he had seen their mother as she was dying, and Sam had never thought to ask Dean if he had seen anything.

It was a revelation that Sam just realized told him so much more about his big brother. Dean had some memories of their mother and of their father before their mother had died. Dean knew what their father had been like when he'd just been a normal Dad. Granted Dean had been very young, but he had memories that Sam never would.

Sam was a little bit jealous now that he thought about it. Dean knew things that Sam would never know. It wasn't fair Sam thought; but then he realized that Dean also knew the bad stuff too. He'd seen their mother, the fire, their Dad broken. Dean's childhood and innocence had died that same night their mother had. And he had lived every day since with those memories; the good and the bad.

Sam turned as he heard Dean coming down the stairs carrying their duffel bags. He caught his bag as Dean tossed it to him and followed Dean out the hotel's front door. They were off; onto the next hunt; and then the next. But at least now Sam could understand more about why Dean did it; the job; and maybe just maybe he'd hang in there for a while longer; help Dean to do the job. And maybe, just maybe Sam would learn more about his brother… and about himself.

Sam smiled as he watched his brother swagger along to the Impala. He had to admit; the guy was a huge pain in the ass; but if Sam had to have a big brother that was a pain in the ass; then Dean Winchester was the best one to have. The guy was really a great big brother.

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Dean turned around as he walked to the car to see a goofy grin on Sam's face. He knew that Sam had taken in what he'd heard him say to Lucas and had locked it away to bring up at some other time when Sam felt like a chick flick moment. He knew what Sam heard and he knew what Sam was thinking.

He turned back around to hide his own goofy grin as he thought, because he had left Sam alone on purpose for his emo time. Dean had revealed what he did to Lucas knowing full well that Sam would hear 'cause Sam ate that kind of shit up. It didn't take a friggin' genius to read Sam, he thought with a bigger grin. Yeah Sam, I am a friggin' awesome big brother.

AN: Please read and review and let me know what you think. I'm still new at this and want to know how I'm doing! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four – Phantom Traveler

 _Take a look to the sky just before you die. It's the last time he will. -Metallica-For Whom the Bell Tolls_

Sam sat on the end of his bed in the motel trying to watch some mindless sitcom on the TV while Dean was in the shower. They were heading to Pennsylvania to meet a guy that Dean and dad had helped in the past. Sam couldn't help wondering why the guy hadn't called their Dad instead of Dean, but maybe after they met up with him and talked, he could explain; and maybe the guy could give them a clue as to their father's whereabouts.

Sam wanted so badly to get back on their Dad's trail so he could find this thing that had killed Jessica, 'cause God, he missed her so much. Dean was right, Sam was having trouble sleeping since she'd died; he had nightmares regularly now, and he was having a hard time facing those dreams. They brought her back to him, them jerked her away all too quickly.

They kept bringing up how much he'd known before Jess had died; and he should have listened to his dreams. If he had maybe he would have been able to prevent her death and that was what got him the most. When he thought of his time at Stanford, he only thought of Jess. School paled in comparison to wanting to spend the rest of his life with Jess.

Sam sighed as he thought about Jess; he should have told her the truth about his past. At the time, he didn't tell her not because he feared she would think he was crazy; but because he wasn't a part of that life anymore. He wanted to be someone else. But he knew if he'd told her, Jess wouldn't have thought he was crazy; no, she would have understood, and she would probably wanted to meet his brother and father. She would have asked questions; tons of questions; she would have wanted to know everything. She would have stood by him right now if she were alive. She would have fought alongside him.

She had always believed in him; she would have encouraged him to make up with his father and she would have wanted whatever he wanted. She would have liked his family, especially Dean. Sam smiled as he thought of her and Dean having lively conversations. They were both such animated people and hell Jess would have stood toe to toe with Dean. They were so a like; they even shared the same birthday. She would have understood all of Dean's bullshit and seen right through all of it to see the real Dean; the Dean that only Sam knew.

Jess would have been like Dean when he'd had to keep the peace between Sam and their dad, except Jess would have made sure both men talked it out instead of letting the feelings fester. Sam chuckled at the thought of Jess making his larger than life father take a timeout until they'd made up. He would have probably gone apoplectic the first time; but then he would have done exactly as said. Sam had no doubt in his mine; Jess would have been in control of all the Winchester men.

Sam realized he'd made a mistake by waiting to ask Jess to marry him; by not asking as soon as he knew that was what he wanted. He should have taken the step forward instead of waiting, because for the life of him, right now he couldn't think of a single good reason he should have waited. Jess had been the best thing to happen to him and now she was gone; but he knew she was somewhere watching over him and he had no choice but to move forward. Dean needed him to find their Dad and Sam needed their Dad to help him find this thing that took Jess; took his Mom. So, Sam needed to stay for now and do whatever it took to find their father.

Man, being a Winchester was hard; being a Winchester was the hardest thing Sam had ever done. It took a toll on him; Sam had struggled with this his whole life. Being a Winchester came with a price and sometimes Sam felt like it was too steep a price that they paid with the lives of the people they loved and lost along the way.

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Jerry Panowski hung up the phone after talking with Dean about the problem he had here with the plane crash. He was worried it was something supernatural and he hoped it stayed confined to this one plane. He knew how quickly something this evil could attach itself to things and move on to others.

When his family had first moved into their new home three years ago, they'd heard the rumors of it being haunted, but he'd laughed it off. That kind of stuff wasn't real, it was only good for making movies. He'd laughed until the first time he'd come face to face so to speak with the thing that wanted to kill his family just to get them out of its house.

But Jerry learned the hard way that the movies were mild in comparison to what he and his family had gone through for months before he was able to track down John Winchester. A friend of a friend of a friend had given him John's name and soon the big man had shown up at his door with his oldest son Dean and the two had taken care of that spirit within a day. It was amazing how quickly they'd been able to dispatch with the thing after all his family had endured with the thing.

His wife had been ecstatic that they were free of that evil thing and so Jerry had asked the two men to stay the weekend and they'd talked; Jerry had learned a lot from John and Dean about the hunting life and about a younger son Sam, who was in school. John had seemed so proud of his sons, both of them; Dean for following his father in this quest to conquer evil and Sam for getting a full ride to Stanford.

Jerry sighed as he snapped back to the present; when this plane had crashed and he'd heard that eerie voice over the black box recording, he knew what he was hearing was not of this world. And he knew he needed to call John Winchester. He'd gotten John's voicemail, but it had led him to Dean, and he was glad he had him and Sam on their way to help him out. He worried about this whole thing, but at least he'd taken the first step; the right step in calling in the Winchesters.

He laughed to himself as he remembered the phrase his ten-year-old son had come up with when the guys had taken care of that poltergeist. His son had spent a lot of time hanging around Dean and now he had gotten into the same music Dean loved, and Dean's saying 'Zeppelin Rules'. His son had said that may be true, but he'd added his own flair to the phrase. Yep, it was true too. 'Zeppelin may rule; but Winchesters dominate!'

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Max Jaffey was still sitting outside in the gardens an hour after meeting with the two men from Homeland Security. He had thought about what he had said to them, especially about what he'd told them about the man with the black eyes. He hadn't told that to anyone else, not even the cops. He had been freaked about it and that was why he was here at Riverfront Hospital. Not just because he had felt like he was losing his grip on sanity, but because he knew that what he'd seen was in fact truly real.

At first, he'd thought he was just stressed from the crash itself, from the fact he'd almost died. He wasn't sure what he'd really seen in those first few days after the crash; not until he'd started having the nightmares. Then he'd thought he was just plain ass going crazy, cracking up. Then he'd come across a TV documentary called 'God's Warriors VS. Lucifer's Minions.' That's when he knew what he'd seen was real and that the man on the plane with the black eyes had been a demon.

The documentary had told of angels and demons and how religion had actual documentation on actual demonic possessions as well as a couple of angelic possessions. So, Max had done more research and he'd found out that demons were real, and they walked this earth. The smell of sulfur and the black eyes were just two of the clues to knowing a demon; and those were the two things Max remembered about the man on the plane.

Max had kept all that info to himself, though, when the two agents came to talk to him, because the last thing he needed was to let the staff here think he really could be crazy. He'd be leaving in a couple more days; going to stay with his mother; to help her out for a while, but to also protect her. He now knew what was out there in this world and those two agents had no clued what they were really facing. There was true evil out there and Max had decided he was going to face that fact and help as much as he could.

He was going to face up to what was out there and find his place in this world. He was going to fight evil and the way he saw it he had two choices, he could continue on his current path pretending to live a banal existence and do nothing with his knowledge or he could sack up and fight.

He had found this small militia group that called themselves 'Hunters'. He was going to become a Hunter. Now all he had to do was find some of them so they could teach him what he needed to know to survive and protect. He sighed as he got up from his seat and headed back to his room. Research' that was his best bet.

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Amanda smiled and mouthed the words 'thank you' to the two good looking men that had helped on the plane. She slowly listened to the airport policeman acknowledge her statement and move on to talk to some other poor unsuspecting passenger about what had just happened during their flight.

She knew what they'd say, not much; and she knew what the cops would say, who really cares? She knew that no one had a clue as to what really happened up their thirty thousand feet about the earth. She barely had a clue herself.

And she'd just barely gotten that clue thirty minutes ago from the two men she watched leaving the airport. Whatever had really happened up there, all the answers went out the door with them. She didn't know all the details and what's more she didn't really want to know.

She was only interested and being alive and knowing all the passengers and crew were also alive. Thanks to Sam and Dean. That's all she'd gotten from them, their first names, before she was pulled into a question feast with the nearest cop.

She had been thinking that flying was a great way to meet new people, but this was pushing the boundaries to the extreme. She really didn't care about meeting new people anymore, especially if those people became something evil. No, she didn't need that at all.

She watched as the passengers were still milling around in confusion as were the rest of the crew. Amanda decided in that moment, that she'd had enough of this. She turned to grab her carry-on bag from a seat behind her and she slung it over her shoulder and began walking away from the noise.

"Amanda?" One of her fellow flight attendants called out to her. "Where are you going?"

Amanda stopped and slowly turned back to look at the woman calling out to her. She thought about her question for a moment, then replied, "The nearest bar. I need a drink."

"Mind if I join you?" Her friend, Jasmine asked. "I'm suddenly not in the mood to be near a plane."

"Yeah, sure."

The other woman quickly grabbed her carry-on bag and rushed to join up with the other woman. "Boy, this is the pits? Isn't it? Think I'm gonna sign up for beauty school and park my butt on the ground for a while."

Amanda smiled at the woman. Demons could come in for a wash and set too, she thought. "Yeah, I'm thinking of checking into a new career too."

"I bet you are; this is your second scare, isn't it?"

Amanda thought about that. Was she scared of flying? Maybe. "No, not really. It's just as dangerous on the ground as it is above it. But maybe we should take a trip to Bali, my treat. What do you think?"

Jasmine turned to look at Amanda and for the briefest second, Amanda could have sworn the woman's eyes went all black suddenly. Then they were back to her normal blue as she replied, "Sure thing. Always wanted to check out some sandy beaches and mingle with the natives. By the way how long do you think we've been down on the ground? Maybe forty minutes now?"

And as the two women walked out of the terminal, Amanda turned to the woman in surprise as she was suddenly pushed in front of the rapidly moving EMS vehicle heading out of the terminal.


End file.
